April 30, 2010 - More than 440,000 U.S. residents die annually from cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke, while 8.6 million are sickened by smoking, officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) said tobacco use is the single leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States. Smoking costs $96 billion in medical costs annually in the United States and $97 billion in lost productivity annually, the report said.

Adult smoking prevalence dropped from 42.4 percent in 1966 but remained unchanged in 2004 at 20.9 percent to 20.6 percent in 2008, the report said.

"As of Dec. 31, 2009, cigarette excise taxes among all states ranged from $0.07 a pack in South Carolina to $3.46 a pack in Rhode Island, with a national mean of $1.34 per pack," the report said.

Although on December 31, 2009, a total of 21 U.S. states and DC had comprehensive smoke-free laws in effect that prohibit smoking in workplaces, restaurants, bars, and other public places, about half of U.S. residents are not protected by comprehensive state or local smoke-free laws, and 12 states preempt local communities from passing smoke-free policies.

May 1, 2010 - A new city law requires Buffalo landlords to disclose to tenants whether or not they allow smoking in their buildings. It is the first such policy in the state and one of only a few in the nation.

The disclosure law clarifies to smokers and non-smokers the tobacco policies in a building before they sign a rental agreement. But tobacco-control advocates also see such laws as a way to encourage landlords to make their apartments smoke-free.

"A smoke-free building is more attractive to tenants and tends to get higher payments," Anthony Billoni, coordinator of the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition, said Thursday, April 29th. The coalition worked with the city on the law, which went into effect with little notice in March.

The law, which is modeled after a policy in Oregon, requires landlords to disclose whether smoking is prohibited or allowed in a building, or allowed in limited areas. If smoking is allowed in limited areas, those areas must be identified. Colleen Hermann-Franzen, tobacco program manager for the American Lung Association in Oregon, said landlord groups supported the measure. "It has been well-received by tenants and landlords," she said. "The work now is informing people about the law." (Oregon's New Law Requiring Landlords to Disclose their Smoking Policy)

Notification must occur at the time tenants sign a lease agreement. Landlords can draft their own disclosure forms or use sample language available from such tobacco control organizations as the coalition.Landlords in New York State are not required to use written lease agreements and are not required to disclose a smoking policy in writing. However, officials said a verbal disclosure leaves no physical proof that the disclosure occurred and leaves a landlord vulnerable to legal action by a tenant when misunderstandings over smoking policies arise.

"The law helps tenants protect themselves from second-hand smoke, and it helps smokers develop an understanding about whether they can smoke, which will avoid the many conflicts that make it to court," said City Housing Court Judge Henry J. Nowak.

Secondhand smoke, which is also known as environmental or passive smoke, (ets, secondhand smoke, involuntary smoking, sidestream smoke) includes smoke that comes from the end of a lighted cigarette or cigar, and smoke that comes from the exhalation of a smoker.

Secondhand smoke is classified as a cancer-causing agent by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization.

Billoni said the law will benefit landlords, especially those concerned about potential damage to their properties from fires and smoke odors, by clarifying that it is legal for them to make a multi-unit dwelling smoke-free. He and others likened the law to rental policies on pets and disclosure requirements about the presence of lead-based paint.

Belmont Housing Resources, which manages and builds low-cost housing in Buffalo, oversees more than 700 units in 15 multi-unit buildings in the region. The organization, which supports the law, over the years made its buildings smoke-free. "Landlords don't realize that it's legal to adopt a smoke-free policy. Smokers are not a legally protected group," said Pam Berger, vice president of property operations.

The Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition announced Thursday, April 28th it is reimbursing landlords up to $500 for the cost of advertising a smoke-free building if they use the international no smoking logo or the phrase "No Smoking Allowed" in apartment rental ads.

April 30, 2010 - Some smaller cigarette manufacturers have sued FDA (filed April 23, 2010) to invalidate a provision in FDA’s recently issued final rule that would restrict a manufacturer from using certain product names on the ground that the restriction violates the First and Fifth Amendments, among other grounds. Section 1140.16(a) of FDA’s final rule restricting the sale and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to minors restricts a manufacturer from using the trade or brand name of a nontobacco product as the trade or brand name for a cigarette or smokeless tobacco product, unless the trade or brand name was on both a tobacco product and a nontobacco product sold in the U.S. on January 1, 1995. Products that violate the restriction are deemed misbranded.

Background: As required by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a final rule that is identical to the provisions of the final rule on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco published by FDA in 1996, with certain required exceptions. It was felt it makes no sense to require FDA to reinvent the wheel by conducting a new multiyear rulemaking process on the same issues. Both the 1996 final rule and the 1995 proposed rule (60 FR 41314) included extensive discussions of the scientific information available at that time and the final rule included FDA's responses to the more than 700,000 comments on the proposed rule.

Passage of the Tobacco Control Act negates the Supreme Court’s 2000 ruling in FDA v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., which held that, despite the dangers inherent in tobacco use, the FDA did not have the authority to promulgate regulations relating to the use or advertising of tobacco products.

The manufacturers contend that the restriction has a disproportionate negative impact on small cigarette manufacturers because the trade or brand names used by the larger manufacturers are generally excepted by virtue of having been in use prior to 1995. As examples of the restriction’s far-reaching effects, the complaint cites (among other things) the fact that the restriction: * applies even where the manufacturer of the nontobacco and the tobacco products are wholly unrelated; * the nature of the products is such that there is no likelihood of confusion, mistake, or deception; * no account is taken of whether different geographic markets are in play; * the restriction applies regardless of which product had first use and trademark registration; and * the rule includes no grandfather clause, such that a name used well before the rule’s effective date (but after January 1, 1995) would nonetheless be restricted.

Plaintiff’s contend that the rule would result in a loss of commercial speech, as well as a taking and destruction of property interests, in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments. Plaintiffs seek both a preliminary and permanent injunction, as well as other relief.

Small companies, such as plaintiff Renegade Tobacco, will not be able to keep selling its "Tucson" brand cigarettes, because Hyundai uses the term for cars, according to the federal complaint. But Big Tobacco companies already have cemented rights to their products, such as Marlboro and Camel, and so will not be affected.

Renegade Tobacco, Alternative Brands, and Seneca-Cayuga Tobacco say the Product Name Restriction regulation will restrict "the ability of cigarette manufacturers to engage in commercial speech using their federally registered trademarks, including brand names that have been in use for years."

The new Bulgarian Health Minister Anna-Maria Borisova backed parliament's decision to loosen up smoking ban in public places in Bulgaria. A majority of 85 Bulgarian MPs (members of parliament) voted Wednesday, April 28th in favor of the motion to ease ban on smoking in all indoor public places (53 MPs were against the proposal while 5 abstained from voting).

Borisova commented on parliament's vote by saying that the all-out smoking ban in public places must be relaxed due to the present socio-political climate in Bulgaria and that “ though medical experts are against smoking, a compromise needs to be reached”.

Last week, when Borisova was appointed Bulgaria's new health minister following the resignation of Minister Nanev over accusations that he has concluded unfavorable for the state deals, Borisova expressed her strong opposition against smoking in public places.

When first discussing the issue the new health minister said that “all over the civilized world smoking in public places, including bars and restaurants, is banned.” She was firm on her stand that “Bulgaria should follow the example of France where people are allowed to smoke only in the streets.” The ban on smoking in all public places in Bulgaria is set to be enforced June 1, 2010.However, the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) Cabinet has come up with a proposal to relax the all-out smoking ban. The draft amendments of the Health Act on easing the much anticipated all-out public smoking ban has surprisingly managed to bring together the ruling center-right GERB with the main opposition Socialist Party.

The ad hoc coalition claims that the proposed relaxation of a ban on smoking in all public places would avoid hurting the tourist industry during tough economic times.

Under the proposed changes the owners of restaurants, clubs and coffee shops with an area less than 100 square meters, should decide if smoking would be allowed, while for larger establishments there must be a well-isolated smoking space.

The full ban is to remain effective for all other public spaces. Similar measures were imposed as part of a partial smoking ban in 2005 but have been widely ignored.

As part of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) ongoing efforts to recruit qualified experts with minimal conflicts of interest who are interested in serving on FDA advisory committees, FDA is requesting nominations of individuals to serve as members of its advisory committees. FDA has a special interest in ensuring that women, minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are adequately represented on its advisory committees and, therefore, we encourage nominations for qualified candidates from these groups.

April 30, 2010 - A new tobacco tax passed by the Washington State Legislature takes effect on May 1, raising the tax on a pack of cigarettes by one dollar (effective May 1st $3.025). Tax on other tobacco products goes up by similar amounts. The higher tax and resulting price increase is expected to encourage more adults to quit and discourage young people from starting.

“Raising tobacco prices is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking,” said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. “Quitting smoking improves a person’s health within hours, and saves money, too. A pack-a-day smoker who quits will save nearly $2,500 a year. Our Tobacco Quit Line is there to help.”

Click to enlarge..

The Department of Health’s free Tobacco Quit Line (1-800-QUIT-NOW; 1-877-2NO-FUME in Spanish) received an unprecedented number of calls after last year’s federal tobacco tax increase. In just one month, calls increased three-fold. The agency expects to see a similar spike when the new state tax takes effect Saturday.The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and other public health organizations estimate that in Washington, the state’s tobacco tax increase will prompt about 19,000 adults to quit smoking and prevent about twice as many kids from taking up the habit. The expected decrease could save lives and money — more than $854 million in healthcare costs.

The Tobacco Quit Line (www.quitline.com) is a key part of the state’s effort to reduce tobacco use. Callers talk to quit coaches who are often former smokers themselves. Coaches help them recognize their smoking triggers and develop a personal plan to quit. All state residents can receive some level of free quit support by calling the quit line. Medicaid subscribers can receive additional help, including prescription medication, if appropriate.

The adult smoking rate in Washington has dropped more than 30 percent since the state began its Tobacco Prevention and Control Program in 2000. There are now 295,000 fewer people smoking in the state and an estimated 98,000 people will be spared early, tobacco-related deaths. The decline in smoking will save an estimated $2.8 billion in future health care costs.

April 29, 2010 - LONDON — Men in Iceland and women in Cyprus have the lowest risk of dying worldwide, a new study says. In a survey from 1970 to 2010, researchers found a widening gap between countries with the highest and lowest premature death rates in adults aged 15 to 60. The study was published Friday in the medical journal, Lancet.

The findings are in contrast to the trends in child and maternal mortality, where rates are mostly dropping worldwide. Health officials have long thought if child deaths were decreasing and health systems were improving, adult deaths would similarly decline. But that's not what researchers found.

"The new analysis challenges the common theories," wrote Ai Koyanagi and Kenji Shibuya of the department of global health policy at the University of Tokyo, in an accompanying commentary. They were not linked to the study. Koyanagi and Shibuya said it wasn't clear why there were such major differences among countries in adult deaths.Researchers in Australia and the U.S. calculated death rates in 187 countries using records from government registries, censuses, household surveys and other sources. It was paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Only a few countries have cut death rates by more than 2 percent in the last 40 years: Australia, Italy, South Korea, Chile, Tunisia and Algeria. The U.S. lagged significantly behind, dropping to 49th in the rankings for women and 45th for men. That puts it behind all of Western Europe as well as countries including Peru, Chile and Libya.

"The U.S. is definitely on the wrong trajectory," said Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics at the University of Washington, one of the study's authors. "(The US) spends the most on health out of all countries, but (it) is apparently spending on the wrong things."

Murray said they weren't sure why some countries — like Australia and South Korea — were particularly successful in reducing death rates, but guessed better policies on things like tobacco control and road accidents might be responsible..

Death rates were highest for men in Swaziland and for women in Zambia. Researchers also found death rates jumped in eastern Europe, perhaps because health systems fell apart after the collapse of the Soviet Union and widespread smoking. In sub-Saharan Africa, deaths have fallen, possibly due to the rollout of lifesaving AIDS drugs.

Murray said adult deaths have largely been neglected by the U.N., except for AIDS and tuberculosis programs. "We need to recognize just how bad things are getting in some parts of the world," he said.

April 29, 2010 - MBABANE (capital and largest city of Swaziland) - The Cabinet is considering a Bill that will ban smoking in private work places and enclosed areas. The Bill will be known as the Tobacco Products Control Bill, 2010.

Government Press Secretary Macanjana Motsa - This Bill is aimed at countering the Tobacco Industry’s influence through educating the public, changing social norms and protecting present and future generations from devastating health, social, environmental and economic effects of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. The Bill will also regulate the sale and distribution of tobacco products, and further ban advertising, promotion and sponsorship of these products.

The Bill further intends to ban the sale of tobacco products to minors and provide for the prohibition of free distribution and receipt of gifts or cash contents, lotteries or games to or by the purchaser of these products in consideration of such purchases.

Just think - The Marlboro man could soon be banned from the Outback. Australia could become the first nation to ban brand images and colors on cigarette packages under a wide-ranging set of anti-smoking measures the government announced Thursday, April 29th.

Starting July 1, 2012, tobacco products would have to be sold in the plainest of packaging — with few or no logos, brand images or colors. Promotional text would be restricted to brand and product names in a standard color, position, type style and size.

The government said the moves would cut tobacco consumption and generate billions of dollars of revenue that would be plowed into the health system. The action won praise from the World Health Organization (WHO), which welcomed the measures as "a new gold standard for the regulation of tobacco products."

Mr. Rudd said he went public with the plan because of Australian Tax Office reports that revealed smokers, fearing a price rise, had begun stockpiling cigarettes.Tobacco companies are arguing the new packaging plan will damage their brand name and some already have plans to take legal action. “Introducing plain packaging just takes away the ability of a consumer to identify our brand from another brand and that's of value to us,” Imperial Tobacco Australia spokeswoman Cathie Keogh told ABC Radio. She added the company was planning legal action.

British American Tobacco Australia (BATA) told The Australian Online: “We oppose plain packaging and we will defend the intellectual property which lies in that packaging. “If that requires us to take legal action, then we would do so. “We would look at various things, including intellectual property rights, trademark legislation and remedies under international treaties.” BATA would also consider pursuing compensation from the government for “acquisition of our property on unjust terms”.

Philip Morris International declined to say whether it would take legal action against the measure but argued that the imposition of plain packaging would represent "an unconstitutional expropriation of valuable intellectual property, violating a variety of Australia's international trade obligations."

Retailers have also said the tax hike would hurt their businesses and agreed with tobacco companies that plain packaging would bolster the cigarette black market. “It's a lazy policy response being pushed by some health advocates,” said Mick Daly, chairman of Australian supermarket chain IGA.

Chair of the National Preventative Health Task Force Rob Moodie said there would be one million fewer smokers by 2020 if measures such as plain cigarette packets were implemented. And Professor Rob Moodie said he did not believe tobacco companies would be entitled to compensation. “It's a solid case on constitutional and legal grounds,” he said, rejecting suggestions easy-to-copy plain packets would be a boon for dodgy cigarette counterfeiters.

Mr Rudd said that revenue from the hike in the tobacco excise would generate an extra $5 billion over four years and would be directly invested in hospitals. Announcing the rise himself in Sydney's Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices, the Prime Minister said it would not lift the government in the popularity stakes. “This is a tough decision for the government,” he said. “It won't win the government any popularity. The big tobacco companies will hate what we are doing. “It is the right decision.”

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said, "We, the government, will not be intimidated by any big tobacco company." Cigarette boxes would continue to carry graphic health warnings, including photographs of the effects of smoking-related diseases.

The measures announced on Thursday. April 29th also include a 25 percent increase in the excise tax on tobacco products. That will increase the cost of a packet of 30 cigarettes by about 2.16 Australian dollars, to about 16.70 Australian dollars ($15.40). The government believes the changes will cut tobacco consumption by 6 per cent and the number of smokers by 2 or 3 per cent - totalling roughly 87,000 Australian smokers.

Internet advertising of cigarettes will also be restricted, and an extra $27.8 million will be spent on anti-smoking campaigns.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said 15,000 people a year were dying from tobacco-related illnesses. When she was a young child her father, who smoked, died from cancer of the oesophagus. “If our action today can mean that any other child has their parents with them for a little longer, that'll be a good thing. And we don't make any apologies about taking this action,” she said.

Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton earlier today supported an increase in the tobacco excise but questioned the timing of the cigarette packaging announcement by the Rudd government.

April 30, 2010 - The Cabinet approved a plan to raise the duty by 3.5 yen (4 cents) per cigarette from October 1, 2010 next year, with tobacco companies charging an extra 1.5 yen each. A pack of 20 cigarettes would increase by an average 100 yen, or 33 percent, to 400 yen (4.26 USD).

Japan Tobacco Inc (JT) said Wednesday, April 28th it will raise the prices of around 100 cigarette brands on Oct 1 as it reported double-digit sales and profit declines in the just-ended business year. JT will raise the price of its popular Mild Seven brand to 410 yen (4.37 USD) a pack from 300 yen (3.20 USD) and that of Seven Stars to 440 yen (4.69 USD) from 300 yen (3.20 USD) in line with a hike in the cigarette tax slated for October.

The tax increase will impose a levy of 3.5 yen per cigarette, or 70 yen (0.75 USD) per pack. The price hike will exceed the additional tax and is aimed at compensating for declining sales due to tougher rules on smoking, the company said.

Tobacco companies need the Finance Ministry's permission to change their prices in Japan.

JT also said it recorded a group operating profit of 296.50 billion yen in fiscal 2009 ended March, down 18.5% from the previous year, on sales of 6.13 trillion yen, down 10.2%.

JT attributed the sluggish performance to a 5% fall in domestic cigarette sales as well as foreign exchange losses due to the yen’s appreciation against the dollar when overseas subsidiaries converted dollar-denominated earnings into yen for account settlements. But net profit increased 12.2% to 138.45 billion yen thanks to a decline in extraordinary losses.The tax increase, the biggest since Tokyo-based Japan Tobacco Inc. was privatized in 1985, is part of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s pledge to discourage smoking to curb health insurance costs as the population ages. Japan Tobacco, the world’s third-largest publicly traded cigarette maker, may raise prices by more than the tax gain to offset an expected drop in smoking rates, President Hiroshi Kimura said this month. (Japan’s Tobacco Tax to Raise Cigarette Prices by 33% (Update1) by Naoko Fujimura (nfujimura@bloomberg.net), Bloomberg.com, 12/22/2009)

Philip Morris Japan KK, the nation's second-largest tobacco company, said it will not follow through on a cigarette price increase set for June 1, 2010. With the Health Ministry calling for a ban on smoking in public places and Kanagawa Prefecture instituting its own prohibition, the company behind the Marlboro brand appears to see a risk of a sharp drop in demand for cigarettes. Philip Morris is the first to back away from an approved hike.

April 29, 2010 - The first report to include comprehensive data on adult tobacco consumption in Egypt has been prepared by the Ministry of Health, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The report features a survey conducted on a sample of 23,760 male and female subjects over the age of 15. Six chapters detail the results of the survey and the report also includes information about measures adopted to discourage smoking.

The report revealed that 38 percent of male smokers in Egypt use just one type of tobacco product. The percentages of smokers among the age brackets of 25-44 and 45-46 years of age are 46.1 percent and 48.9 percent respectively, the report said.The most widely-used product is cigarettes, with smokers consuming an average of one pack daily, according to the report. The report also revealed that 56.2 percent of people who smoke shisha (hookah, argileh nargile, hubble-bubble, water pipe, hooka, goza, meassel, sheesha) do so at home, with 35.9 percent smoking at coffee shops.Passive smoking is a widespread phenomenon, according to the report, which said that 80 percent of Egyptians are exposed to passive smoking (secondhand smoke, shs, environmental tobacco smoke, ets, sidestream, involuntary) on public transportation, at restaurants, and even in health care establishments.

The report also said 5 percent of male adults and 0.03 percent of female adults chew tobacco.

Finally, the report concluded that Egypt needs an effective national program to help smokers quit, especially since 41 percent of smokers say they have tried at some point to give up but failed, with only 17.1 percent of smokers succeeding. The key component with any program will be enforcement.

April 29, 2010 - Australia will force tobacco companies to adopt plain packaging, removing all colour and branding logos within two years, in a world-first move aimed at reducing smoking-related deaths, government sources said.

Laws to be in force by January 2012 will prohibit tobacco companies from using any tobacco industry images and promotional text, as recommended by the World Health Organisation, the centre-left government will announce later on Wednesday.

The government believed the move, expected to be confirmed by Health Minister Nicola Roxon, would reduce the attractiveness of tobacco packaging and its potential to mislead particularly young people.

The government will face voters later this year in an election set to be dominated by health issues after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd struck a deal with state leaders earlier this month to take funding control of health and state-run hospitals.

Rudd holds a solid lead in opinion polls and is favoured to win a second term at elections likely in October.

The Australian tobacco market generated total revenues of A$8.3 billion ($7.60 billion) in 2008, recording growth rate of 2.9 percent between that year and 2004.Smoking-related illnesses killed over 15,000 Australians each year and smoking has been identified by health authorities as the largest preventable cause of disease and death in the country.

Research has shown that industry branding and packaging design reduced the effectiveness of graphic health warnings about smoking.

Tough government regulations on tobacco advertising have reduced smoking in Australia from 30.5 percent of the population aged 14 and over in 1988 to 16.6 percent in 2007. The government is aiming to cut smoking rates below 10 percent by 2018.Free market think-tank The Institute of Public Affairs recently warned that the move to force tobacco companies to sell their products in plain packages could lead to compensation claims of more than A$3 billion a year. Forcing tobacco companies to strip products of trademarks was akin to compulsory acquisition of physical property and could require compensation under the Constitution, it warned. "$A3.4 billion dollars taken from general taxpayer revenue to go towards funding to tobacco companies is morally offensive," the institute's Intellectual Property and Free Trade Unit director Tim Wilson told Australian radio.

April 29, 2010 - Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) and British American Tobacco (BAT) said on Monday, April 26th they are to seek a judicial review of the relevant sections of the Health Act 2009, in which the UK government is looking to impose the display ban to discourage smoking.

Part of Health Act pertaining to Strengthening tobacco control: The Bill prohibits the display of tobacco products at the point of sale and creates powers to control the sale of tobacco from vending machines. These provisions will help to reduce the impact of tobacco on health and well-being in future generations by protecting children and young people from the harm caused by smoking.

Imperial, which makes Lambert & Butler and Richmond cigarettes in the UK, said there is no evidence to suggest children start smoking or that adult smokers continue to smoke as a result of the display of tobacco products.

"If this misguided legislation is implemented it will simply fuel the growth in the illicit trade of tobacco and create a huge cost burden for retailers who are already under considerable pressure as a result of the difficult economic climate," said Imperial's Chief Executive Gareth Davis in a statement.

JTI, which took over Gallaher in 2007 and makes Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut cigarettes in the UK, called the regulations "unreasonable and disproportionate" and said it had no option but to start the legal process to challenge the ban.

BAT, which makes Rothmans and Pall Mall cigarettes, added there was no evidence to show the move will cut smoking rates in the UK, but argued it would damage competition and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of small businesses.

It said driving legal trade from public view will encourage illegal traders.

Though she has never smoked a cigarette in her life, Jessica Simpson admitted to Jay Leno last night that she has an addiction to nicotine gum!

Um, why????

It all started when one of her brilliant friends gave her a piece when she asked for just regular gum. She truly runs in the most intellectual of circles. She called the flavor "fireworks" and insisted on having more!

According to Simpleton, not only does she love the taste of the stuff, but she also claims it gives her the energy of "three Red Bulls."

Eck! We'd rather drink the Red Bull. That shiz is NASTY! How can you let that stuff be in your mouth?

April 28, 2010 - Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to pull the dissolvable tobacco products – namely Camel’s Orbs, Sticks, and Strips – from stores until the agency could conduct a study of their effects on children and teenagers. (Lautenberg wants FDA to yank candy-like tobacco from store shelves by Jordy Yager, The Hill, 4/24/2010)

In a commentary in the journal of Pediatrics, Dr. Laurence R. Deyton, director of the newly formed Center for Tobacco Products at the FDA indicated that dissolvable products are the second priority for review by the FDA office, after menthol cigarettes. This would put the start of the dissolvable products review around the first of next year. By this time we could have a few nicotine poisonings but thousands of children with a life-long addiction to nicotine. This is unacceptable, after all we are involved in public health - if you see an epidemic brewing you react immediately.

Regarding menthol - as pointed out by Dr. Cheryl Healton, President and CEO, Legacy - Lorillard Inc. CEO Martin L. Orlowsky's March 30th op-ed mischaracterizes the study of menthol cigarettes by the FDA's new advisory panel. Mr. Orlowsky claims the panel must "answer the question—does menthol make cigarettes more harmful?"

Actually, to quote the law establishing the panel, it must review "the impact of the use of menthol in cigarettes on the public health." Meaning, does menthol make cigarettes easier to smoke, luring young people into a deadly addiction? And does menthol make it harder for smokers to quit? If the answer to either question is yes, then menthol negatively impacts the public health and should be prohibited.

The science is clear: Newer and younger smokers smoke menthols at much higher rates than established smokers. (Menthol Cigarettes Are Harmful, Cheryl Healton, Dr. PH., The Wall Street Journal, 4/4/2010.

Terry F. Pechacek, associate director for science in the Office on Smoking and Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “We are continuing to find that Marlboro, Newport and Camel brands, among the most heavily advertised brands, continue to be overwhelmingly the preferred brands of cigarettes smoked by middle school and high-school students.”

Another major problem with these highly flavored dissolvable tobacco products is exposure to our children resulting in a life-long addiction to nicotine. Dr. Karl Olov Fagerström who was the founder of Niconovum now owned by Reynolds American has stated that addiction in general is a "unnatural state."As pointed out by Dr. Gregory Connolly, the director of the Tobacco Control Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health, these nicotine dosage forms (Sticks like a toothpick, Orbs, which is a pellet and edible film Strips - like placing a postage stamp on your tongue similar to breath strips) are easier to tolerate so kids will become possible life-long nicotine addicts at a much younger age compared with cigarette initiation.

Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, a pediatrician and the FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner, while cigarette use by teens and young adults has decreased in recent years, cigar smoking continues to be a "serious and growing health problem." "Youth are twice as likely to report seeing advertising for flavored tobacco products as adults are," said Dr.Sharfstein. "Marketing campaigns for products with sweet candy and fruit flavors can mislead young people into thinking that these products are less addictive and less harmful." By flavoring a product to mask its otherwise appallingly disgusting taste, tobacco companies extend their reach into the marketplace to sustain and often grow their addicted consumer base.

From Columbus, OH - one of the three test market sites for Camel Dissolvables. Our contact describes the sampler pack: it has 3 Orbs Mellow, 3 Orbs Fresh, 2 Sticks and 4 Strips. On the pack it says that it’s free with any R.J. Reynolds Tobacco tobacco purchase, but this person picked it up the sampler pack and was looking at it and they said he could just have it. It comes with a coupon for a free dissolvables with tobacco purchase.

Those violating the ban are responsible for an infraction and can be fined $50. That fine can also be brought against people violating private non-smoking rules at businesses or other private buildings.Along with the outdoor ban, the rule prohibition puts the force of law behind non-smoking rules at businesses or other private buildings used by the public, giving owners the right to call the police on smokers.

Proponents said the ban would protect public health and reduce litter, while critics said it was an infringement on individual rights that will be hard to enforce.

Buncombe County Health Department Director Gibbie Harris said the change makes Asheville “a leader among municipalities in North Carolina in the prevention of exposure to second-hand smoke.” Less than five cities and counties have enacted such bans allowed by recently passed state law.

The tobacco industry has traditionally been one of the most important industries in North Carolina and a backbone of the state's agricultural heritage.

April 27, 2010 - In the fourth exclusive Convenience Store/Petroleum (CSP)-UBS (global financial services) Tobacco Survey, some 90 retailers, representing independents, midsized operators and large chains, shared their thoughts about the state of cigarette and several Other Tobacco Products (OTP) brands—who was vulnerable, who most likely to grow share. The survey also explored innovation in the nascent (emerging) oral segment, as well as manufacturer-based promotions, federal legislation and field execution.

"Retailers still seem to be pretty cautious on the overall economy and what that could mean for pricing and promo activity, but we get the sense that at least the threat of price wars or massive volume dislocations are in the past," UBS tobacco analyst Nik Modi told CSP Daily News.

Among the highlights:

# Company Health: Among the Big 3 premium brands, 54% of survey respondents said they expect Marlboro to gain the most market share in 2010, compared to 33% for Camel and 13% for Newport. Conversely, nearly half the respondents said Newport was seeing the most negative pressure among the top 3 brands.

Of Marlboro, two retailer comments echo much of the broader sentiment. "Greatest ability to influence the retail marketplace due to their size," one operator said. Another noted, "They lost share last year and it is unlikely they will let that happen again."

Modi underscored the strength of Altria's current market share. "Most retailers," he said, "look at PM USA as a situation where the biggest will get bigger, as a result of regulatory changes and the company's larger spending budget."# Menthol: Almost 80% of retailers said they did not expect the FDA to ban menthol. Modi agreed: "We do not think menthol will be banned because of the large potential for a black market, which would not be beneficial for taxpayers, public health, and the industry."

# Promo Power: More than 60% of retailers said they are seeing changes in promotional activities, most notably a shift from multipack to single-pack discounts and less pulse promotion on cigarettes, to ensure more consistent pricing.

That said, 6 of 10 retailers predicted manufacturer promotions would increase over the rest of the year. "Consumers' [are] looking for deals or cheap cigarettes due to tough economic times," one retailer said. Others said competitive market conditions will buoy new promotions.

# Snus: Oral products, led by snus, remain a raindrop of activity, but retailers voiced optimism about their long-term growth potential. Asked if they believe snus will become a viable category in the tobacco category, 57% said yes. "It is still very early in the game for Snus and could be some time before it is a needle-moving category," Modi said.

Just a few miles after passing a towering Marlboro Man ad, a second billboard off the highway promotes cigarettes with a new American face: Kelly Clarkson. The former American Idol winner invites fans to buy tickets to her upcoming concert in Jakarta, the nation's capital. The logo of her sponsor is splashed in huge type above her head — the popular Indonesian cigarette brand L.A. Lights. Similar ads also run on TV.

Such in-your-face tobacco advertising has been banned for years in the U.S. and many other countries. But in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation, tobacco companies have virtual free rein to peddle their products, from movies to sports sponsorships and television shows. The country remains one of the last holdouts that has not signed the World Health Organization's FCTC tobacco treaty.

Click to enlarge.. As smoking has declined in many Western countries, it has risen in Indonesia — about 63 percent of all men light up and one-third of the overall population smokes, an increase of 26 percent since 1995. Smoking-related illnesses kill at least 200,000 annually in a nation of 235 million.

About a quarter of Indonesian boys aged 13 to 15 are already hooked on cigarettes that sell for about $1 a pack or as little as a few cents apiece, according to WHO. A video on YouTube last month prompted outrage when a 4-year-old Indonesian boy was shown blowing smoke rings and flicking a cigarette. His parents say he's been smoking up to a pack a day since he was 2. (Indonesia - parents encourage 4-year old boy to continue smoking habit..)

L.A. Lights company Djarum declined to comment on its sponsorship of the April 29 Clarkson concert, or on accusations that it markets cigarettes to young people. But the company's international brand manager, Roland Halim, said it abides by government restrictions on tobacco advertising.

Philip Morris affiliate HM Sampoerna said in a statement it has urged the government to adopt tougher regulations on cigarette sales and ads, including age limits on buying tobacco, billboard restrictions and the phasing out of television commercials.

"We recognize that our products, like all tobacco products, cause disease and are addictive," it said. "Our advertising is intended solely for adult smokers. We sponsor events in compliance with Indonesian law. We do not advertise to minors."

Smoking is embedded in Indonesia's culture. Wafts of a pungent mixture of tobacco and cloves, called kreteks, can be smelled in houses rich and poor across the vast archipelago.

According to a 2008 study on tobacco revenue in Indonesia, smokers spend more than 10 percent of their household income on cigarettes; that's three times more than they spend on education-related expenses such as school fees and books. (Indonesia - Smoking hits poor families the hardest, making the poor even poorer..)Indonesia remains one of the last places in the world where cigarette TV commercials still run, featuring rugged men and beautiful women smoking. Billboards plastered above four-lane highways encourage motorists stuck in Jakarta's notorious traffic jams to "Go Ahead" or "Become a Man" or let Marlboro Lights "Style Your Party."

Leggy women in short skirts and strappy heels promote cigarettes at events, sometimes even giving out discounted or free samples to "taste."

Indonesian cigarettes are cheap by regional standards, with taxes less than 40 percent. Tobacco farmers have held massive street protests to denounce any push for higher taxes or tighter restrictions.

"Kretek cigarettes are Indonesia's heritage just like cigars in Cuba," " said Nurtantio Wisnu Brata, chair of the Central Java chapter of the Indonesian Tobacco Farmers Association. Any move to limit tobacco promotion and use in the country will require strong political will. But critics point out that even Indonesia's smoke-happy neighbors China and Vietnam have signed the WHO's tobacco treaty and imposed stronger controls.

"The level of advertising in Indonesia is unmatched anywhere else in Asia," said Mary Assunta, senior policy adviser for the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance. "The Marlboro Man has ridden into the sunset in many countries, but not in Indonesia."